Illuminating means.



d H. 1. sc H LAKs.

ILLUMINATING MEANS. APPLICATION FILED FE. 14, 1916.

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H. 1. SCHLACKS.

v ILLUMINATING MEANS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.14, |916.

E. ,241 ,U3 l Patented Sept. 25, 1917.

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idilil. Substitute for application Serial No. 857,788, filed August 20,1914.

an enanas encreur enuncia,

HENRY J'. SGHLACKS, 0F CHICAGO.

ILLINOIS.

y ILLUMINATING MEAN S.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 25, i917.

This appicaton led February 14,

1916. Serial No. 78,300.

To all whom t may concern.' l

Be it known that I, HENRY J. ScHLAcKs, citizen of the United, States,residing at Chicago, lin the county of Cook and State of Illin0is,haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Illuminating Means;

and I do hereby-declare the followng'to be inged auditoriums.

The main object of the invention is to provide a system of artificialillumination which will harmonize with the architectural effects of theauditorium, and will not inter* ere with the purposes and intent of thestyle of architecture thereof and will, at the same time, provideillumination of both. the direct and indirect type which will bring outall of the architectural and decorative, beauties of the auditorium at aminimum cost of power consumptiom'and without producing a glaring lightwhich will be annoying to the eyes of the occupants ofthe auditorium.

Having in Vmind particularly the basilica church auditorium such as isshown in the accompanying drawings, it is believed that 'necessary toadd seating arrangements to a few words of explanation will aid acomplete and full understanding of the invention.

.In plan, the basilica comprises a rectangular nave or auditorium, inlength from two to three times its breadth, the chief entrance at oneend and at theopposite extremity the semi-circular apse where originallysat the Roman pretor and which place later became the Christiansanctuary. The nave is fianked with colonnades in two stories. In theupper or clearstoryv the side walls are close to or attached lto thecolumns and perforated between with window openings." Onthe lower levelthe walls'are separated from the colonnade by the side aisles. Theseaisles are vaulted over,l directly above them is the triforium gallerywith arcade open-v ings into the mam auditorium.l This triforium` mayform a gallery. of considerable size, 1t 1s more often reduced to avvacant 4tympanum chamber under the side roofs and directly over thevaults of the side aisles. Then, 1n place of the' arcade open ings, aseries of ornamental recesses is set into the wall or a frieze orcornice is used to decorate the otherwise vacant wall space. The chiefpurpose, however, of this ornamentation of the side walls just above thearches of the lower columns is to add to the scale of the perspective.v

Many variations from the above plan,

such as the duplication of the side aisles, an apse at both ends, or theentire absence of these features and usually the addition of a transeptin front of the sanctuary, suggest-ing in the plan the form of a cross,have been introduced by the accidents of position or the exigencias ofthe ritual. The ceiling may be arched, vaulted, or flat and the uppercolumns are often mere conventions.

These variations in the general design do not affect the problem ofartificial illumination,-a problem common to all buildings 'of thistype.

The basilica design is well and'naturally vadapted to daylightillumination b ut presents serious diiiiculties in respect-to artificiallighting. In its original applications when the building was used as ashrine or a forum there'was no need for night illumi nation and, -exceptfor purely ceremonial purposes,no need for artificial lights. Later whenused as a place of assembly. it became the structure and means forlighting inde- -pendent of' the sunlight. The problem of lconincandescent lamp could be readily adapted. Objections to the chandeliersystem are many andvaried The quality of' l illumination is poor becauseof the uneven distribution from concentrated sources. rlhe eyes of theaudience are subject to a maximum of glare and, where it is most needed,a minimum of illumination. Vhen placed in the best position for the navelighting the fixture usually hangs in a direct line of the choir galleryand sanctuary. At all times it obstructs the view of the organist andthe 'gallery audience looking toward the altar and at night, interposesin the very center of their field of vision glaring lights in addition.The chandelier is expensive to operate because much of the lightgenerated is wasted. The efficiency is lower than it might be were itnot for artistic considerations which generally prevent the use ofreecting glassware and the selection of lamps on the basis of efficiencyrather than appearance. A large number of outlets and lamps are neededand these, on account of .their exposed position, and inaccessibility,are expensive to keep clean. Chandeliers should be thoroughly cleaned atleast twice yearly and the metal parts periodically polished andlacquered. This work is commonly neglected and consequently thedepreciation is high. However, the fixture is liable to become obsoletebefore the useful life -is completed, due to advances in the art andchanges ,in the style of lamps. On account of its conspicuous position,the chandelier must be richly ornamented and thus it is high in firstcost. Finally, as aV fixture it is out of place in the architecturalprinciple of the basilican design.

The user of an electric lighting system invests a sum of money for`which is obtained a value received in light. The sums expended dependupon the number of lamps used and the hours of burning; but the light.depends upon the condition of the lamps. Two factors make thiscondition: age and blackening of the lamp is one-it pays to discard thelamps at the first sign of blackening rather than use them until theyburn out-and the other factor is dirt. All lighting systems, with thesingle except-ion of an open fiame, vhave their highest efficiency whennew and clean and thereafter suffer a constantly decreasing efficiencyVwith accumulations of dust films on the glass' which transmits orreflects the'light. This dust obstructs'from 10 to 50 per cent. of thelight generated. and a corresponding waste forms a part of the electricbill. Providing the apparatus is relatively accessible, the cost' oflabor for cleaning is a small fraction of the saving. It does not followthat the lighting bills will be lowered by cleaningof the-lamps, but thesaving appears in the form of more light. Or, if it is .found that adirty lamp will give sufficient light it will be economy to put asmaller clean lamp in its place. If this policy is carried out thesaving will then appear directly in the operating costs. Proper cleaningof lighting equipment in churches is commonly neglected, partly becausethe economics of the matter are little understood and partly because thelabor of cleaning is greater than it should be. The matter should not beviewed from the standpoint of ordinary cleanliness but rather as ameansfor cutting down operating expenses. Lighting equipment should bedesigned for the best possible protection from dust and for easy accessto clean and renew the lamps.

Of the various systems in use, the purely indirect lighting systemprobably suffers the most from dust. The upwardly directed reflectorsand lamps are in the best position to receive .falling dust. Further,their location is usually awkward and often dangerl ous to reach. Theefficiency -of this system is low at its best and the afiinity for dustaccumulations seriously impairs its usefulness. The lamps of achandelier are exposed to dust especially when frosted lamps are usedthe roughened surfaces of which retain dirt with tenacity. The troubleof access to the lamps is such as to discourage proper attention.

Accordingly the objects of the present in-k i vention are to produce anartificial illumina-tA tion which shall be soft and devoid of glare,

and-in which good `diffusion and the absence of annoying shadows andreflections are produced. Further, to provide a light of uniformintensity on the reading plane and in which the color of light isappropriate to the general interior color scheme of the auditorium.

Further objects are, to provide a lighting system which will not requireskilled labor for its operation and maintenance, and which shall requirethe minimum expenditure of labor for cleaning and renewal of lamps, andeasyv accessibility for these purposes. Further, to provide lightingfixtures in which the lamps are protected from dust whereby to maintainmaximum efficiency, and in which, by reason of the maintenance of thisefliciency,` the `power consumption for the production ofthe light. ismuch lower than the present or ordinary standards.

Further objects are to provide illuminating means 'which shall bemechanically durable and have a minimum or total absence 'of partsadapted to wear out. and which are church building equipped withilluminating y means embodying my invention.

Fig. Q-"is a fragmentary detail vertical longitudinal Section of thesame.

Fig. #-3- is a fragmentary detail vertical cross-section through theilluminating means embodying my invention.

Fig. .-4- is a diagrammatic view showing the electric circuits employed.

My illuminating means comprises preferably linear sources of lightdisposed along the walls of an auditorium at a lsuitable point betweenthe floor-and ceiling of the latter, and preferably,where possible, atsuch height from the floor as will make the elevation of the sources oflight substantially equal to the distance separating oppositely disposedlinear row's. This, of course, will be changed and. varied according tothev height of the' auditorium in proportion of the width thereof. Thisrelation of elevation towidth causes both the parallel sources of llight to so distribute their rays as-to illu.- minate with substantiallyequal intensity all 'of the floor space interposed therebetween, and atthe same time such elevation of the illuminating means throws thesameentirely out of the normal direction of vision of the occupants ofthe auditorium, thus` relieving the glare which isvery disconifortingandannoying to the eye.

However, the invention does not reside merely in the aforesaid relativepositions of the sources of light, but also in'the construction of thehousing and distributing'means as hereinafter more fully described. y

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment ofthe invention it will be noted that the side walls A of the auditoriumare equipped at a suitable elevation from the floor with cornices B.Each' of the latter comprises a base portion C whichis directly mountedupon the wall A and the outer portion B, which is suspended from thewall by means of suitable brackets D secured vto the wall A and to theupper portion of the cornice B. Thus between the wall A and the member Bof the cornice there is a hollow space of ample cross-sectional areawhich 'is further bordered by the ortion C of the cornice and thebrackets D. The illuminating elements are adapted to be contained inthis apse. The lower edge of the member B of the cornice is separatedfrom the outer edge of the .member C by a free space of a considerable lWidth, this being closed by means of hinged members E carrying groundconcavo-convex` glass sections F constituting light-diffusing elementsfor the rays originating from the incandescent lamps G mounted in thespace behind the coi-nice member B, and supported Secured to the rearface of the cornice member B is a strip H of a suitable material tcwhich a portion ofthe housing are fed, and in the outer wall J of whichthe sockets K for said lamps are secured, the latter projecting into themain portion L of said housing which contains the said lamps G and thereflector M associated therewith'for concentrating the rays upon thedif'ilusing elements F. The front Wall of-the main portion of thehousing L is also secured to the lower en d portion of the cornicemeinber B, the latterbeing equipped with a strip N of sheet metal havinga flange O upon which the .edges 'of the members F are adapted torest-when in their normal posi tion, as shown in full lines in Fig.

The said housing L is preferably made of sheet metal, and is equippedwith doors P which may be of any desired design, and either hinged,mounted to slide in guides, or may be bodily removable to provideopenings through which to permit theswinging back of the hinged membersE,as shown in dotted lines in Fig. -3, for cleaning their conveX faces,and lthrough. which access may also be had to the lamps G andtheir-reflectors for purposes of replacement the cornice members B andC, the series of lamps G directing their rays entirely upon thediffusing members F, andthe lamps Q, being disposed in the upper portionof said space and equipped with reflectors R for directing rays upon theupper portions ofthe walls and the ceiling of the auditorium, therelative numbers and candle power of the lamps Q and G beingproportioned as desired to illuminate the upper portion of theauditorium with the degree of intensity serving to bring out thedecorative features thereof and to aid. to some extent by rellection,the illumination of the lower portion of the auditorium.

It will be obvious, of course, that the brackets D may be shaped asdesired to make them convenient to support a person walking on thecornice, and that the housing' for the lamps G may be, and preferablyare, suitably equipped with a plurality of hinged doors S whereby accessto the'lamps may be easily had from above.

The reliectors 'for the lamps Q, are preferably so arranged as to'reflect the rays from the lamp Q upon the opposite wall of theauditorium, and upon a portion of the ceiling thereof,`so' that eachwall and the contiguous portion of the ceiling will be illuminated fromthe opposite side of said auditorium, thereby producing an illuminationlacking in shadows which will mar the full elliect of the decorativefeatufrcs, especially if the latter are of the relief type very commonlyresorted to, and also effecting a very efficient illumination offrescos, paintings, mural decorations, etc., which 'may constitute thedecoration of the-walls and ceilings of such auditoriums.'

The section F of olass may be disposed eud to end to provide anuninterrupted linear light source. but the section may, when the typevof cornice used requires it, be separated by opaque elements withoutsuffering diminution of its advantages as the construction andarrangement is easily adapted to alltypes of moldings and cor- 2n`nicesof siiiiieient cross-sectional dimensions to secure all of the aboveenumerated advantages.

In the instance illustrated the passageway T behind the cornicev andabove the side aisles U may be utilized to gain access to the lamps andconduits, the wall A being provided at regular intervals with openings Vbehind the cornice for this purpose.

The exact location and arrangement of the sources of light will depend,of course, upon thc shape of the auditorium,and will depend, to someextent, upon whether the same contains one or more balconies and theextent to which'they overhang the floor thereof. Thus the linear sourcesof light may follow the cu'rvatures of the walls and balcony rails andmay be continuous around all, or nearly all, the' walls, being omittedfrom the wall toward which the gaze of the audience is usually directed.

Thus the specific arrangement shown may be changed and modified at willto suit the variations in the conditions met without departing from theinvention as defined in the appended claims.

@briously theJ intensity of illumination 'may be varied by providing aplurality of of common knowledge.

part of the auditorium, and a substantially continuous slot along itsupper side through which light can be projected into the upper part ofthe auditorium.

2. In a lighting system for auditoriums, cornices on opposite wallsthereof each having a lower and upper substantially continuous slotthrough which light can be projected into the auditorium, andsubstantially continuouslight-diifusers arranged in the lower slots toprevent direct light rays reaching the lower part of the auditorium.

3. In a lighting system for an auditorium, a cornice arranged on thewall thereof, a substantially continuous slot in the lower part of thecornice throughwhich light can be projected into the Alower part of theauditorium, a series of electric lamps within the cornice adapted toproject light through said slot, reflectors associated with thev lampsto cause a maximum quantity of light to be projectedA through said slot,a substantially continuous translucent light diffuser in said slot toprevent the direct rays of light reaching the lower part of theauditorium and adapted to spread the rays of light laterally to the slotover the lower part of the auditorium whereby the lower part of theauditorium is substantially uniformly illuminated and shadows aredestroyed.

l.A In a lighting system for an auditorium, a hollow cornice arrangedbetween the floor and ceiling thereof, lighting elements arranged insaid hollow cornice, said cornice provided with slots through which thelight is projected into the auditorium and reflectors for conserving the'light produced by said elements and causing a maximum projection. oflight through said slots, and a substantially: continuous light diffuserin one of said slots' for preventing direct light rays entering theauditorium therethrough.

5. In a lighting system of the kind described, for auditoriums, a seriesof lights within a cor-nice, a slot through which the rays therefrom canbe directed into. the lower part of the auditorium, a substantiallycontinuous diffuser closing said slot, a substantially half-closed andcontinuous housing inclosing said lights, and reflectors Within saidhousing4 associated with said lights for directing a maximum quantity oflight through said diffusers.

6. In a lighting system of the kind described, for auditoriums, a seriesof lights within a cornice, a slot through which the rays therefrom canbe directed into the lower part of the auditorium, a substantiallycontinuous diffuser closingsaid slot, a substantially half-closed andcontinuous housing inclosing said lights, refiectors within saidlhousing associated with said lights for projecting a maximum quantityof light through said diii'users and means permitting access to said'.lamps, reflectors andiffuser from the, interior of said cornice. v

7. In a lighting system of the kind described for auditoriums, av hollowcornice v provided with a substantially continuous slot along itsl underside, through which light canbe projected into the lower part of theauditorium, a substantially continuo us diiuser closing said slot andthrough which light is dii'used into the auditorium, said diiuser beinghingedly mounted and adapted to be swung into the cornice for cleaningand repairs, and sources of direct and reflected light arranged behindthe diffuser.

8. In a lighting system ofthe kind de-l scribed, anauditorium providedwith a hollow cornice, having a slot along its lower part, a translucentdiiiuser substantially closing said slot, a substantially' closedconduit arranged above said di'user, the diffuser closing the bottomofsaid conduit, a

series of lighting elements in saidconduit, reflectors associated withsaid lights adapted 'v to project a maximum quantity ofv light nesses; yy

through said diiiiuser, normally closed handhole.- openings giving.access to said conduit from within the cornice, said dii-user adapt.-n

ed to be swung within the hollowv cornice-130 continuous slots in theupper and lower sides of said cornices,vseries oflighting elel mentswithin said cornioes adapted todirect light through said Aslots andsubstantially continuous diifusers in the lower slots preventing thedirect light rays'reaching the 40 lower part of' the auditorium, thelight vbeing proportioned, directed and controlled -to provide asubstantially uniform illumination on vsubstantially the whole interiorof .the auditorium.

In testimony whereof lI have signed' my name in' presence oli" twosubscribingy wit- HENRY J. soHLAoKs. Witnesses:-

M. M.- BOYLE, Gall/l. NEVJILE.'

